NEW ORLEANS, (April 13, 2015) - Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., the leading smoothie franchise company with more than 700 stores worldwide, will introduce a new smoothie to its menu this April. The smoothie, called “Nutty Super Grain,” will be featured as an extension of the franchise’s new Vegan Smoothies line, which is consistently among the top ten smoothies on Smoothie King’s menu showing the appeal among both vegan and non-vegan guests.

“The new Vegan Smoothies we launched last year were a hit among our guests, largely because of the trends we’re seeing in plant-based dieting,” said Wan Kim, owner and CEO of Smoothie King. “People are much more aware of what they are putting in their bodies. That’s exactly why this year, we’re putting an emphasis on super grains and almond milk. We’re going back to the basics with our ingredients and giving our guests the nutritional building blocks of a healthy body.”

This is the first time in Smoothie King history that the franchise is offering a dairy-free milk option. Recognizing the rising popularity of non-dairy based milk offerings, almond milk is not only an ingredient in this new smoothie, but is available as an extra in any smoothie the chain offers. Almond milk’s health benefits are undeniable with 50 percent more calcium than dairy milk, zero cholesterol and saturated fat, and an excellent source of vitamin E.

Smoothie King’s proprietary Super Grain blend uses notable ancient grains like chia, quinoa and flax in addition to grains that are starting to get noticed like teff, millet and buckwheat. Super Grains is available as an enhancer for any smoothie and boosts the nutty flavor profile of the new Nutty Super Grain Vegan Smoothie. This smoothie is both GMO and gluten free. To find out more about Vegan Smoothies or see the full menu of offerings from Smoothie King, visit SmoothieKing.com.

About Smoothie King Franchises Inc.

Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. is a privately held, New Orleans-area-based franchise company with more than 700 units worldwide. By creating each smoothie with a purpose, Smoothie King makes it simple and pleasurable for guests to achieve their individual health goals. The franchise also offers a number of healthy retail products, including sports beverages, energy bars, vitamin supplements and more.

Smoothie King was founded in 1973 by Steve Kuhnau, whose mission was to help others achieve better health in a tasty way. In 1989, Smoothie King became the first franchised smoothie bar/health food store in the U.S. and currently operates in 33 states, the Caymans, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. In 2014, Smoothie King was ranked No. 1 by Entrepreneur magazine in the juice bar category for the 20th year and No. 86 overall on the 2014 Franchise 500 list. In 2014, Smoothie King partnered with the New Orleans Pelicans to launch the Smoothie King Center, a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. Visit www.smoothieking.com or www.smoothiekingfranchise.com; engage on Facebook www.facebook.com/SmoothieKing; follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/smoothieking.